Around the world with Atlas - March 2025 - Italy
Resident's Birthdays
11th Joyce Gill
28th Pinky Kurdyla
30th Anita Schmitt
Month's Celebrations
4th Fat Tuesday
9th Daylight Savings Begins
17th St. Patrick’s Day
20th Spring Begins
Events Spotlight
4th Resident Mardi Gras Parade
7th Jewelry Sale
12th Italian Dessert Tasting
12th March Birthday Lunch
19th Italian Pasta Dinner
21st OUTING – Glass Blowing
26th New Resident Welcome Reception
27th OUTING – Villaggio Colafrancesco for Gelato
MAR10 – Mario Day, celebrate all Marios in your life
Italian Tradition
Alexa, play “Nessun dorma” interpretated by Luciano Pavarotti
“Nessun dorma” is one of the most famous arias in opera history, composed by Giacomo Puccini for his final opera, Turandot. Luciano Pavarotti’s record of “Nessun dorma” (1970) is legendary, his interpretation at the 1990 FIFA World Cup Ceremony in Italy was so powerful and emotional that introduced opera to a global audience, making him and the aria a global fenomenon and synonymous with triumph and passion. His soaring high notes, especially the final “Vincerò!”, became an unforgettable moment in music history.
About St Patrick's Day
St Patrick is one of Ireland’s patron saints and many Americans with Irish ancestry remember him on March 17. Patrick’s Day is fixed on March 17, but may occasionally be moved by Catholic Church authorities. This happened in 1940, so that the celebrations would not fall on Palm Sunday, and in 2008 to avoid Holy Monday, the last Monday before Easter Sunday.
Symbols
The most common St Patrick’s Day symbol is the shamrock. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Other symbols include:
Almost anything green.
The green, orange and white flag of the Republic of Ireland.
Brands of beer associated with Irish culture.
Religious symbols include snakes and serpents. Other symbols seen on St Patrick’s Day include the harp, which was used in Ireland for centuries, as well as the leprechaun and a pot of gold that it hides.
Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
Ireland and neighbors across the pond have commemorated Saint Patrick since the ninth or 10th century, according to the History Channel.
St. Patrick was never canonized by the Catholic Church but has enjoyed longstanding historical popularity. Saint Patrick died on March 17, 461, which later became the day we celebrate him and the Irish.
America’s first St. Patrick’s Day celebration was in 1600 in the Spanish colony of present-day St. Augustine, Florida. Spanish colonial records mentioned a celebration for Saint Patrick in 1600 and the first known St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601.
The tale of Saint Patrick likely traveled from Ireland to the Americas in the 16th century by way of Richard Arthur, a priest in St. Augustine and an Irish soldier, The Washington Post reported. Records of St. Patrick celebrations died with Arthur, but additional records show Irish soldiers in the English military marched in celebration of Saint Patrick in Boston in 1737 and New York City in 1762.
Decades of growing Irish patriotism resulted in Irish Aid societies and annual parades of bagpipes and drums. They united to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1848, according to the History Channel.
While rowdy celebrations occurred in the U.S., Irish laws mandated pubs be closed on St. Patrick’s Day until the 1970s. In 1995, the Irish government began campaigning for bigger March 17 celebrations to drive tourism.
Patrick’s legacy continued in the U.S., particularly in areas with large groups of Irish immigrants. St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City is one of the most recognizable churches in the country and was “created to affirm the ascendance of religious freedom and tolerance,” according to the Cathedral’s site.
Operation Christmas Child Project
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Savvy shoebox packers know that it’s never too early to start shopping for shoebox gifts. Use the guide to begin purchasing items now. A donation box will be set up in the library for easy drop-off of items.
By purchasing/donating shoebox gifts all year long, Monark Grove Greystone residents, family and friends can send the Good News of Jesus Christ and the great joy of receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox to more boys and girls around the world!
The story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) gives a clear picture of God’s desire for us to help those in desperate need wherever we find them. After describing how the Samaritan rescued a hurting man whom others had passed by, Jesus told His hearers, “Go and do likewise.” For over 50 years, Samaritan’s Purse has done our utmost to follow Christ’s command by going to the aid of the world’s poor, sick, and suffering. We are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. This, in turn, earns us a hearing for the Gospel, the Good News of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
As our teams work in crisis areas of the world, people often ask, “Why did you come?” The answer is always the same: “We have come to help you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our ministry is all about Jesus—first, last, and always. As the Apostle Paul said, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5, NIV).
Mission Statement
Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ. The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Italian Legacy
Around the World with Atlas
A Timeline
“From the grandeur of Roman amphitheaters to the visionary works of Renzo Piano, Italian architecture is a living testament to art across the ages. Timeless.”
Rome, the Eternal City, is an open-air museum. Walk its cobblestone streets to witness the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and fountains that whisper stories of empire and artistry.
Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, gave the world great artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian. With world-renowned cuisine, iconic design, and a rich musical legacy featuring maestros such as Vivaldi, Verdi, Puccini, Ennio Morricone, and Nino Rota, Italy remains an eternal source of inspiration.
Building a Balanced Exercise Plan
Staying active is not a science. Just remember that mixing different types of physical activity helps to both keep your workouts interesting and improve your overall health. The key is to find activities that you enjoy—based on the four building blocks of fitness. These are:
1: Balance
What it is: Balance exercises help maintain standing and stability, whether you’re stationary or moving around. Try yoga, tai chi, and posture exercises to gain confidence with balance.
Why it’s good for you: It improves your balance, posture, and the quality of your walking. It also reduces your risk of falling or fear of falls.
2: Cardio
What it is: Cardiovascular exercise uses large muscle groups in rhythmic motions over a period of time. It gets your heart pumping and may even leave you feeling a little short of breath. Cardio workouts include walking, stair climbing, swimming, hiking, cycling, rowing, tennis, and dancing.
Why it’s good for you: Cardio exercise helps lessen fatigue and shortness of breath. It also promotes independence by improving endurance for daily activities such as walking, house cleaning, and errands.
3: Strength and power training
What it is: Strength training builds up muscle with repetitive motion using weight or external resistance from machines, free weights, elastic bands, or your own body weight. Power training is often strength training done at a faster speed to increase power and reaction times.
Why it’s good for you: Strength training helps prevent loss of bone mass, builds muscle, and improves balance—important for staying active and avoiding falls. Power training can improve your speed while crossing the street, for example, or prevent falls by enabling you to react quickly if you start to trip or lose balance. Building strength and power will help you stay independent and make day-to-day activities such as opening a jar, getting in and out of a car, and lifting objects easier.
4: Flexibility
What it is: Flexibility workouts challenge the ability of your body’s joints to move freely through a full range of motion. This can be done through stationary stretches or stretches that involve movement to keep your muscles and joints supple and less prone to injury. Yoga is an excellent means of improving flexibility.
Why it’s good for you: Flexibility helps your body stay limber and increases your range of movement for ordinary physical activities, such as looking behind while driving, tying your shoes, shampooing your hair, or playing with your grandchildren.
Activities beneficial to older adults
- Walking. Walking is a perfect way to start exercising. It requires no special equipment, aside from a pair of comfortable walking shoes, and can be done almost anywhere.
- Senior sports or fitness classes. Exercising with others can help keep you motivated while also providing a source of fun, stress relief, and a place to meet friends.
- Water aerobics and water sports. Working out in water reduces stress and strain on the body’s joints.
- Yoga. Yoga combines a series of poses with breathing. Moving through the poses helps improve strength, flexibility and balance, and can be adapted to any level.
- Tai chi and qi gong. These martial arts-inspired systems of movement can increase balance and strength.
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Recipe Spotlight:
2-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients:
1 pound white confectioners’ coating (white almond bark), broken up
1 (18 ounce) jar peanut butter
Directions:
Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with plastic wrap long enough to overhang the dish by several inches on each side.
Place broken confectioners’ coating in a large glass microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on Low power until melted, smooth, and creamy, about 5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in peanut butter until fudge is thoroughly combined. Spread into the prepared baking dish.
Refrigerate fudge until set, 1 to 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the overhanging plastic wrap as handles; slice into 48 squares with a pizza cutter.
Resident of the Month
Mary Oppelt
Mary was born in Baltimore, MD, in 1937. After meeting her husband on a blind date, and 6 years later, they were married in 1960 and left Baltimore. She has lived in Indiana, Virginia, State of Washington, and Kentucky before moving to Alabama. Mary received her RN license at the age of 37. Her focus was hospice care. Mary moved from Kentucky to Monark Grove Greystone in 2023 to be closer to her 2 children. She has 9 grandchildren.
She is an active member of the Monark Grove Greystone Community. She is a Resident Ambassador to new residents who move into Monark Grove Greystone helping make their transition to their new home a good experience.
She loves playing Mahjongg, Hand & Foot card games, Phase 10 and other board games. She participates in Arts & Crafts projects (making the hat she is wearing in this post), loving on other resident’s pets (she is holding Honey Bun in this post), attending exercise classes, going on outings, and enjoys being around the friends she has made here at Monark Grove Greystone.
We love you, Mary! Congratulations!!
Associate of the Month
Shamikia Austin
Congratulations to Shamikia F. Austin for being selected as Associate of the Month. Shamikia joined Monark Grove Greystone as a Caregiver for the Assisted Living residents and has over 10 years of experience in this field.
Shamikia grew up in Bessemer, Alabama where she attended Jess Lanier High School. She now lives in Midfield. She has 1 child and 2 dogs. When she isn’t working, Shamikia likes to read, cook and clean.
When asked about her favorite thing about working at Monark Grove Greystone, she said “The nice people here and so clean.”
Italian Masters
(Renaissance Amazing Facts)
Michelangelo Buonarroti the legendary Italian artist, sculptor, painter, and architect of the Renaissance painted the Sistene Chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Michelangelo used foreshortening techniques to make figures appear more lifelike when viewed from the chapel floor, enhancing the sense of depth and realism.
The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican, built over ancient burial sites, a masterpiece of art, history, and a mystery; one of the greatest cultural treasures of all time!
Collaborators
